An Oceanic Adventure
by vamp1987
Summary: She should have known that nothing he promised would be as simple as fun in the sun.


Title: An Oceanic Adventure

Pairing: Hermione, Sirius

Rating: PG

Dedicated to: **Zakiyyah Chuttan**

Prompt: #24-Ocean, #46-Smuggle

Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling, Bloomsbury, and Warner Brothers.

Summary: She should have known that nothing he promised would be as simple as fun in the sun.

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><p><em>AN: Sorry for the long wait! <em>_**thefrog**__, I am working on yours also. Hope to have it out in a few days._

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><p>The creaking of the floorboards shifting underneath her roused her into consciousness. Through blurry eyes and a splitting headache, Hermione surveyed her surroundings.<p>

"No." An exasperated moan followed the proclamation.

Why did things like this constantly happen to her? Why did the gods hate her so?

Everywhere she looked there was damp wood. The floor, the ceiling, the side paneling. Everything damp, musty wood. Well, everything except for the iron bars that cut her and her companion off from a third of the room.

Shifting her eyes to the other side of the prison, Hermione declared, "This is your fault"

"How?" came the reply, alerting Hermione to not only his state of consciousness but to his location within the tiny cage they found themselves in.

Though small, the area was quite dark. A human-shaped shadow could have been any number of things. Sadly, she was not sure if she was actually happy that they shadow lurking to her far left was her traveling companion or not.

With the state of her head, which she was praying did not indicate a concussion of any type, she was leaning more towards the 'not'.

"'You work too much Hermione. You need to relax, love. I know the perfect place. We can pop over for a seaside vacation for a week or two'," mocked Hermione in a horrible impression of Sirius' sophisticated yet boisterous drawl. "Does that ring any bells?"

"Doesn't explain how this is my fault."

Hermione's eyes finally decided to adjust to the darkness surrounding her. She could see Sirius much more clearly reclining against what looked to be a barrel.

"You wanted to come here."

Her declaration was an obvious logical progression of accusation to her. Unfortunately, Sirius was good at the blame-game too.

"You're the one who spoke the words."

Hermione grumbled to herself. He was right. She did speak the words out loud. One would think after seven years in a magical institution, she would have learned how powerful verbalization is to magical incantations.

Well, in truth, she did know, but how was she supposed to foresee what this incantation would release.

"You picked the boat," Hermione volleyed back. This was not going to be her fault. Not if she could help it.

"Ship."

Did he really want to talk semantics?

Taking in his stiff outline, yes, clearly he did.

She huffed. "_Whatever_."

"There's a difference," he mumbled.

"Sirius! Not the point. I am blaming you for this."

"Well, blame away, but that is not going to get us out of this predicament now, is it?"

Clearly, she was not the only one getting fed up with the situation they found themselves in.

"But it makes me feel better," she said sullenly.

"Well, as long as you're happy," he snapped back sarcastically

"If we get sacrificed to some ancient god to restore their bodies, I am going to hex something important from your body."

"These are not Caribbean pirates, Hermione. We are in the Mediterranean."

The exasperation in his tone only succeeded in notching her ire further up, slowly reaching her boiling point.

"We're about to be in the open ocean," said Hermione, feeling that he was missing the important parts of the discussion.

"How is that my fault? I didn't know this ship was once occupied by rum runners that smuggled the stuff into the country."

"You are so lucky my hands are tied."

"Your hands are tied?"

Confused, Hermione looked back toward Sirius.

"Yes, aren't yours?"

"No."

"No?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Why aren't my hands tied?"

"Yes."

"I don't know."

"Well, how fair is that?"

"Maybe the only one they need is the one who stupidly spoke the incantation out loud."

"Sirius, untie me."

"Not sure I want to, love."

"And why not?"

"You might try to do me bodily harm if you have your hands free."

"I'm going to do you bodily harm if you leave my hands tied up."

Weighing his options, Sirius decided to risk pain at the present instead of divine retribution in the future and untied Hermione's hands from behind her back.

"Now, we need a plain."

"Do you still have your wand?"

Sirius' question threw her for a loop. She had not even thought to look for her wand. Lifting the cuff of her right pants leg, Hermione glanced at her holster and saw that her wand in fact was still there.

"Yes."

Taking her wand out, Hermione cast a simple _Alohomora_. The cage door swung noisily open.

"Do you remember the incantation you spoke aloud?"

Thinking back, Hermione visualized the runes caved into the mass of the ship they were currently standing on.

"Yes."

"Can you fix this? Cancel the incantation, perhaps?"

Hermione accessed her knowledge on that specific runes and the necessary counters in the vast reached of her mind.

Suddenly, the answer came to her.

"Can I see your knife?"

Silently, Sirius handed the same knife he cut the ropes that previously bound her hands to her.

Hermione walked over to what appeared to be the center beam of the ship and began to carve. Once finished, she slit her palm and smeared her blood over the carvings.

A bright glow emerged from the carvings, swiftly encompassing the room. The light grew and grew until it escaped the enclosure and shot up through the rest of the ship.

After engulfing the ship whole, the light retreated back into the carvings, gently lighting it for a few seconds until it went out like the last flickers of an exhausted candle.

Hermione silently handed the knife back to Sirius. Without a backward glance, she walked towards the stairs, planning to leave the stifling darkness behind her.

"Wait," said Sirius, grabbing her arm as she was about to push open the door. "Are you sure they are gone?"

Looking back at him, Hermione shrugged. "We're about to find out."

With that said, she pushed the door's hatch up and climbed out of the hull of the ship.

Sunlight momentarily blinded her. Blinking rapidly, Hermione surveyed her surroundings once again.

The entire ship from bow to stern was empty. The ghostly figures of long dead pirates gone back to whence they came, hopefully free instead of bound to the ship for an eternity.

Hermione turned back to her companion and hit his arm.

"Ow," he said, rubbing the spot her hit, "what was that for?"

"Next time, I'm picking the vacation destination."

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><p><em>When I hear ocean and smuggle, I automatically think pirates. Sorry if this was not up to snuff. Just a small drabble instead of a fully developed one-shot.<em>


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